COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Bronson man who entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of assault with a dangerous weapon was ordered to serve 18 months to four years in the Michigan Department of Corrections by Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady on Monday. 44-year-old Mark Jonaitis was arrested following a February 8th domestic dispute in the 200 block of South Walker in Bronson.
Court officials say Jonaitis entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors that called for the dismissal of assault less than murder, assault by strangulation and domestic violence charges.
Police said at the time that the woman who was assaulted managed to call 911 but wasn’t able to communicate with dispatchers. Jonaitis fled on foot and was later located that night on Farrand Road in Sherwood Township.
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, it was mentioned that Jonaitis confronted a woman because he thought she was having an affair with a neighbor and that the victims head was slammed into the floor during the incident.
Judge O’Grady chastised the defendant for lying about his past and felt rehabilitation was questionable in this case.Jonaitis was given credit for 175 days already served in the Branch County Jail.
